zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 13, 2015 7:49:21 GMT -5
True.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Dec 13, 2015 19:35:16 GMT -5
Apple I can definitely understand why you want him to go the CC route for the first year.
This said, if he's really not motivated, and the idea is for him to go to college, I'd give him the option of applying to both the state and private schools, seeing what the costs would be (after grants, financial aid, etc). Then, if it's reasonable, I'd give him the option of taking out reasonable loans for the difference. Swamp has often posted that she got a much better deal from the more expensive private school she attended than from the state school.
I'm NOT talking crazy private school prices at 57K per year with no FA, but maybe there's a compromise to be reached?
Tonight DS3 emailed a friend about accommodation at his first choice (not a close friend, someone who graduated from his HS last year). This boy said accommodation is really about how much you are willing to pay. He kindly gave a summary of the different options, and his recommendations. Then we looked at the prices. There is not a huge difference, about $1500-$2000/year. But, of course it adds up.
DS3 absolutely wants his own room and his own bathroom. (He has some health issues so we understand this.) The vast majority of the rooms there are single rooms, and about half of them have their own bathroom. But there are also (a few) shared rooms which are significantly cheaper. But, the vast majority are single rooms.
Single rooms with a shared bathroom are obviously cheaper than single rooms with their own bathroom. But, tonight DS3 offered to pay the difference if it costs more than we want to spend.
So, we all decided that we would pay what we consider a reasonable amount for his housing, and that if DS3 wants something better/more expensive, and it's that important to him, he can take out a loan and/or work to pay the difference.
We had always fully intended for him to get his Bachelors with no loans, but if it's that important to him, he may well end up with a small loan.
For now all this is theoretical because we won't actually see the rooms until we go there in Feb, but the website is pretty clear.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 13, 2015 19:41:12 GMT -5
He'll only qualify for $5k (or $5.5k) in loans the first year. He'll likely need to come up with more than that. Community college would run at $5k + books and fees. State would be closer to $28k (tuition, housing, meal plan, plus books and fees). So, we're looking at a big difference. If he's motivated and will make the best of it, we'll go the state route if he gets excited about a school, but that's a big difference for us to pay.
Hopefully he'll manage to get some scholarships, since he won't get any financial aid (other than loans and work study).
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Dec 13, 2015 19:43:34 GMT -5
Ouch, that really is a big difference Apple. I didn't realise it was that big.
I hope he will get some good scholarships!
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 13, 2015 20:59:46 GMT -5
Yeah... I know he wants to get out of town, and I don't blame him at all, but...! If he did finish his sophomore year here (in one year, since his freshman year is almost completed as a high school senior), it would help a ton. He'd qualify for more loans, he could get a better GPA, he wouldn't be required to purchase a meal plan (most freshman have to do meal plan+ dorm, he cooks, so could save a lot of money not doing the meal plan).
*sigh*
I'm hoping he finds some scholarships based on SAT scores or something, he'd have a good chance at those.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 1, 2016 17:29:25 GMT -5
So, YDS has been accepted to 2 of the 4 schools he has applied to thus far. Both schools are out-of-state public universities ($$$$) but, fortunately, fall under the very competitive regional tuition program. One school gave him a good chunk of merit money which will make it even more affordable. The other school gave some money, but he is also waiting to hear about some merit money from his expected major program which would make this particular school the most affordable so far.
We are still waiting on 2 more schools.
And, the application for his final choice (somewhat of a stretch but definitely within reach with the right essay) is due today. Of course, he got zero sleep last night and has been playing Xbox all day. Not sure if he'll actually end up applying or not.
Either way, he has 2 good choices so far and some merit money toward already discounted tuition.
How is everyone else doing?
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 1, 2016 17:30:39 GMT -5
LOL, just by my posting the above, YDS emerged from the mantown and is headed off to finish the application.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 2, 2016 3:55:09 GMT -5
Congrats to your son GRG! That's great!
We are on standby now really. DS3 has to choose 2 of those 4 offers by early May, his first and second choice. He's pretty sure which 2 he will choose but we are going back to the UK in Feb to visit those 2 campuses. Luckily the Open Day for his first choice is during our Feb school vacation. The other campus is not having an Open Day that week but we plan to go there anyway (it's a 2 hour drive from his first choice)
Then he'll have to wait for his Baccalaureate results in July to see if he gets the mark required by his first choice.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 2, 2016 17:10:58 GMT -5
Congrats to your son GRG! That's great! We are on standby now really. DS3 has to choose 2 of those 4 offers by early May, his first and second choice. He's pretty sure which 2 he will choose but we are going back to the UK in Feb to visit those 2 campuses. Luckily the Open Day for his first choice is during our Feb school vacation. The other campus is not having an Open Day that week but we plan to go there anyway (it's a 2 hour drive from his first choice) Then he'll have to wait for his Baccalaureate results in July to see if he gets the mark required by his first choice. Man, that's a rather drawn-out process, isn't it? Here, kids must pay a deposit to their final school of choice by May 1st. At many schools, the kids wear something with the name of their selection to school on that day. I can't imagine having to wait until July to know where I'm going to college. But, maybe you start later than us? Here, most colleges start in the middle or at the end of August.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 2, 2016 17:16:03 GMT -5
Yes, because it's contingent on their exam results, they have to make their "offer". In the UK many schools start in mid-Sept / early Oct. But the UK kids don't get their exam results until August!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 2, 2016 17:29:09 GMT -5
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 2, 2016 17:45:44 GMT -5
Yeah, at least here it's early July.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 4, 2016 20:16:36 GMT -5
So, we've booked our Feb UK college road trip! It was pricer than we thought. The cheap ferries are nowhere near where we're going. So we compromised, we're taking an expensive ferry that arrives close to our destinations on the way there, and a cheap night ferry on the way back, and stopping for dinner with DH's cousins on the way to the port. And DS3 HATES HATES HATES sharing a hotel room with us, because DH SNORES VERY LOUDLY. So again we compromised ... we found a very cheap family room for the first short night (we get in late and leave early) and a family cabin on the night ferry back. The 2 nights in the middle I got a great deal (for the UK) and we have 2 rooms. Hotels in the UK are so expensive! We're going to his first choice school's Open Day, but just visiting the other 2 schools informally (their Open Days are either on the same day, or different weeks.) DS3 wanted to zap visiting his second choice, because that's the one that meant the more expensive ferry and the extra night in a hotel. But we really want him to see as many schools as he can, and make an informed choice, so he has no regrets later (and so that we won't have to hear about them if he does). I'm excited! Hopefully it won't be the last time DS3 ever goes on vacation with us.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 4, 2016 21:37:29 GMT -5
So, we've booked our Feb UK college road trip! It was pricer than we thought. The cheap ferries are nowhere near where we're going. So we compromised, we're taking an expensive ferry that arrives close to our destinations on the way there, and a cheap night ferry on the way back, and stopping for dinner with DH's cousins on the way to the port. And DS3 HATES HATES HATES sharing a hotel room with us, because DH SNORES VERY LOUDLY. So again we compromised ... we found a very cheap family room for the first short night (we get in late and leave early) and a family cabin on the night ferry back. The 2 nights in the middle I got a great deal (for the UK) and we have 2 rooms. Hotels in the UK are so expensive! We're going to his first choice school's Open Day, but just visiting the other 2 schools informally (their Open Days are either on the same day, or different weeks.) DS3 wanted to zap visiting his second choice, because that's the one that meant the more expensive ferry and the extra night in a hotel. But we really want him to see as many schools as he can, and make an informed choice, so he has no regrets later (and so that we won't have to hear about them if he does).
I'm excited! Hopefully it won't be the last time DS3 ever goes on vacation with us. Or, so that you don't end up having to make a second trip. ODS and I made a 10 day college trip from Boston to Indiana and back officially visiting 7 colleges along the way. We even just drove through campuses that were within a reasonable distance of our route as insurance against having to do another 14 hour road trip one way a few weeks/months later.
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obelisk
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Post by obelisk on Jan 4, 2016 21:44:19 GMT -5
So, we've booked our Feb UK college road trip! It was pricer than we thought. The cheap ferries are nowhere near where we're going. So we compromised, we're taking an expensive ferry that arrives close to our destinations on the way there, and a cheap night ferry on the way back, and stopping for dinner with DH's cousins on the way to the port. And DS3 HATES HATES HATES sharing a hotel room with us, because DH SNORES VERY LOUDLY. So again we compromised ... we found a very cheap family room for the first short night (we get in late and leave early) and a family cabin on the night ferry back. The 2 nights in the middle I got a great deal (for the UK) and we have 2 rooms. Hotels in the UK are so expensive! We're going to his first choice school's Open Day, but just visiting the other 2 schools informally (their Open Days are either on the same day, or different weeks.) DS3 wanted to zap visiting his second choice, because that's the one that meant the more expensive ferry and the extra night in a hotel. But we really want him to see as many schools as he can, and make an informed choice, so he has no regrets later (and so that we won't have to hear about them if he does). I'm excited! Hopefully it won't be the last time DS3 ever goes on vacation with us. please keep up posted! you will make the right decision for your family
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 4, 2016 21:59:17 GMT -5
Haha GRG that is so true! We offered to fly DS3 to another Open Day on his own (or with one of us) and he said no, let's just get it all done!
Thank you Obelisk! I certainly hope so LOL! DS3 can be pretty indecisive sometimes, so even though he decided he didn't need to see the other school, we pulled rank and decided that he really did LOL.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 4, 2016 22:01:28 GMT -5
OMG GRG, 10 days, I can't imagine!
It doesn't help that I refuse to drive in the UK (although I'm very happy to drive on the French side). So since it's only DH driving once we're there, we have to keep the distances reasonable.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 18, 2016 17:43:42 GMT -5
I have a question for those of you who have kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads ...
I have been looking at campus accommodation at DS3's first two choices in the UK. We absolutely want DS3 to be on campus for at least his first year. That is not negotiable for us.
I was surprised to see that the vast majority of on-campus accommodation is single rooms, with an ensuite bathroom. I was surprised, but DH was shocked. By vast majority, I mean 75% at DS3's first choice, and 66% at his second choice. The remaining percentage is divided about equally between single room / shared bathroom (so 12.5% and 17%) and shared room / shared bathroom (again, 12.5% and 17%).
I'm curious, is this the norm in the US now too?
Again, I'm looking for info from those of you with kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads.
Visibly, things have certainly changed over the years. I'm 56. When I was in college I too shared a room for my first two years. I shared a bathroom for all four years (albeit with fewer people sharing each year).
I'm NOT interested in hearing how those who do not have kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads survived sharing, because I survived too. I'm interested in hearing about how things are in the US NOW.
Thanks! :-)
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Sharon
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Post by Sharon on Jan 18, 2016 17:53:40 GMT -5
I have a question for those of you who have kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads ... I have been looking at campus accommodation at DS3's first two choices in the UK. We absolutely want DS3 to be on campus for at least his first year. I was surprised to see that the vast majority of on-campus accommodation is single rooms, with an ensuite bathroom. DH was shocked. By vast majority, I mean 75% at DS3's first choice, and 66% at his second choice. The remaining percentage is divided about equally between single room and shared bathroom (so 12.5% and 17%) and shared room and shared bathroom (again, 12.5% and 17%). I'm curious, is this the norm in the US now too? Again, I'm looking for info from those of you with kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads. Visibly, things have changed over the years. I'm 56 and I was in college I too shared a room for my first two years, and shared a bathroom for all four years. I'm NOT interested in hearing how those who do not have kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads survived that, because I survived it too. I'm interested in how things are NOW. Thanks! My DD started college in fall of 2011 and graduated spring of 2014. She lived in the dorm the first year. Her dorm had originally been an all girls dorm which had been converted to co-ed. All dorms at her college are now co-ed with just a couple floors that are all men or all women. Her floor was co-ed. Because of this switch up she had to walk down the hall and over into the next wing to reach the womens bathroom. The men's bathroom was in her wing. The upper classmen got first choice of the newer dorms and those, depending on when they were built, had more bathrooms. Some of them would have a bathroom between two rooms, so 4 or 6 people (depending on room configuration) shared 1 bathroom.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 18, 2016 17:57:41 GMT -5
That sounds like how it was when I went to school, Sharon. But besides sharing the bathroom, did your DD have a roommate?
ETA: I've also been looking at how many people share a bathroom. In one dorm it's 11-13. In another dorm it's 7-11.
I know sharing a bathroom is not the end of the world but DS3 has health issues and he REALLY wants his own bathroom. He even offered to take out a loan for the difference. He is NOT spendy, so this is clearly extremely important to him. We've basically decided to spend the extra, at least for his first year. There's no point worrying about future years, because if he opts to go off-campus in following years, that may well be cheaper. And even if he doesn't, we have enough to cover it for at least the first two years.
But this made me curious about what the norm is in the US now. I would NEVER have imagined that the vast majority of campus accommodation in the UK was single with an ensuite bathroom.
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Sharon
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Post by Sharon on Jan 18, 2016 18:46:16 GMT -5
DD did have a roommate. Most of the rooms had at least 2 people to a room. Some rooms had been reconfigured to have 3 people and in one dorm (that had bigger rooms) they were putting 5 people to a room. There were approx. 30 women who were sharing their bathroom. It had 4 stalls, 4 or 5 showers and 4 or 5 sinks.
What she didn't like was the men who didn't want to walk over to her wing to use their restroom so they used the women's. Then there was the whole issue of the floor below her kept clogging the toilets so they shut their bathrooms down for a month so then all those people came up to their floor.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Jan 18, 2016 19:04:30 GMT -5
My son is a junior now and in his first year he stayed in the dorm and even though he was assigned to a 3 person room, he had only one roommate and they had an attached bathroom that was almost the size of his room.
If he had paid extra he would have had a separate room too. The difference was not that much, but as Sharon said the seniors got priority over the single rooms than freshmen.
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flutterby
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Post by flutterby on Jan 18, 2016 19:46:57 GMT -5
My youngest son will be a freshman this fall. His dorm choices are: Single, double, or triple to a room with community bathroom shared by the whole floor Two room suites, two per room, so four kids total sharing one bathroom (these are the most common) Single with its own bathroom (not many of these and much more expensive)
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 18, 2016 20:13:14 GMT -5
ODS is in a traditional U.S. Freshman dorm: 2 to a room, one bathroom (with multiple stalls) shared by all the 20-25 rooms in his wing. His dorm is coed, but single sex by wing.
There are a handful of single rooms for students who need them (for medical reasons, etc.). I don't believe they are en suite, but I could be wrong. I'm thinking singles are a mixed blessing: students get the privacy they may need, but lose out on the often (albeit not always) ready-made friendship having a roommate offers. It's good that your son's school choices offer singles to most students rather than just a few -- all the students will need to step out of their rooms to connect and make friends.
ODS really wanted a kitchen (because of his food allergies and because playing college lacrosse means he frequently misses dining hall hours). But, his college only had kitchens in on-campus apartments which are reserved for upperclassmen. The school was willing to place ODS there, but he wanted to be with other freshmen, so we improvised with a larger fridge, a microwave, and a small chest freezer. It seems to be working out just fine for him for missed meals and late night snacking.
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luckyme
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Post by luckyme on Jan 18, 2016 20:38:58 GMT -5
I have a question for those of you who have kids applying to college / currently in college / very recent grads ... I have been looking at campus accommodation at DS3's first two choices in the UK. We absolutely want DS3 to be on campus for at least his first year. That is not negotiable for us. I was surprised to see that the vast majority of on-campus accommodation is single rooms, with an ensuite bathroom. I was surprised, but DH was shocked. By vast majority, I mean 75% at DS3's first choice, and 66% at his second choice. The remaining percentage is divided about equally between single room / shared bathroom (so 12.5% and 17%) and shared room / shared bathroom (again, 12.5% and 17%). I'm curious, is this the norm in the US now too? Thanks! :-) DS is currently a freshman. He had multiple choices, from the doubles w/ community baths to 4 room suite style. He is very far from home, so he really wanted the suite. Since he was willing to take the full fed loans, that is where he ended up. He has a very nice bedroom, same size he had at home. He shares a bath w/ one of his roommates. The other two roommates share the other bath. Has a living room & small kitchen, but no stove. There is a large communal kitchen on each floor for any student to use. The suites are so popular that freshman are now being "encouraged" to move off campus for sophomore year by limiting availability. I have seen various versions of the "suites" in different schools and they are certainly very popular. It is often remarked that the suites are too isolating, but DS has 3 great roommates, they have become good friends and he certainly has very nice social life, but can retreat for some solitude when he wants.
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gregintenn
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Post by gregintenn on Jan 18, 2016 21:57:12 GMT -5
Great thread, and timely as well. My oldest is a Junior in high school, and I'm looking for all the education I can get on a smooth transition to college. I'll keep an eye on this one.
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greenstone
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Post by greenstone on Jan 18, 2016 22:06:12 GMT -5
I don't have kids in college but my office sits on a satellite campus for a major state university. On my local campus, there are two recently constructed dorms built from the ground up, the latest opening in 2012. Both have either 2- or 4-person rooms/suite with en suite baths with no more than 2 students to one bath, i.e. he 4-person suite has two full baths. None of the rooms are set up to be singles but may be available for extra cost, IDK.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jan 18, 2016 23:08:19 GMT -5
I wouldn't be surprised if they are going this way. Freshman year I had the usual set up of the floor or wing shares a bathroom. The other years we shared a bathroom with one room so four people total.
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Post by 973beachbum on Jan 19, 2016 14:42:40 GMT -5
DD saw the regular dorms with bathrooms on both ends of the floors. Once side for men and the other for women. The vast majority of Freshman dorms are the regular double rooms like what everyone here had years ago. Suites are becoming more common. I think eventually as the old dorms are replaced the older two to a room with a community bathroom down the hall will be fazed out. But for now my DD is in a regular Dorm room like you had Debt but she has two roommates.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jan 19, 2016 15:49:19 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses everybody! I really like the idea of a suite, but I didn't see that option on either campus. I suppose it's possible that the website accommodation info just isn't that detailed. Sharing a bathroom with 2-4 people is one thing, but sharing one with 7-13 is definitely another. If that option (2-4 ppl) exists it seems like a good compromise. We are going to visit the campuses in Feb so I'll know more then. Thanks again!
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